Improvement in reclining-chairs



HOPKINS THOMPSON. Improvement in Reclining ,Cha'irs. No, 120,127, Patented Oct. 17,1871.

.44 @zzmx/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOPKINS THOMPSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN RECLINING-CHAIRS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 120,127, dated October 17, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HoPKINs THOMPSON, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Reclining-Chair; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which drawing- Figure 1 represents a sectional side view of this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in combining with the seat of a chair two links, which form the connection between the front part of said seat and the chair-frame, and a hinged back-rest which connects by pivots with the chair-frame and also with the rear part of the seat, and which acts precisely like the links supporting the front part of the seat, in such a manner that the weight bearing on the seat is balanced by the pressure acting against the back-rest, and that the person occupying the chair, by a slight change of the pressure against the backrest, is enabled to adjust the same at the required inclination without manipulating any portion of the mechanism or without leaving the chair.

In the drawing, A designates the frame of my chair, between the side pieces of which is fitted the seat B. This seat, however, is not rigidly attached to the frame, but its front part is suspended from links a, which are connected by pivots b to the frame and by pivots c to the seat. The rear part of the seat is suspended from pivots d, which have their hearings in straps e that are rigidly attached to the sides of the back-rest G, and the upper ends of which swing on pivots fsecured in the sides of the frame A. The distance between the pivots b c of the front links a is equal to that between the pivots d and fof the back-straps e,- and said back-straps remain parallel to the front links in whatever position the back-rest may be brought, so that when said back-rest is swung backward and forward the seat rises and falls parallel, retaining its horizontal position. By connecting the seat and back-rest in the manner above described, the weight bearing down upon the seat is counterbalanced by the pressure against the back-rest, and the person occupying the chair is enabled to bring the back-rest in any desired inclination by a slight motion of the body and without leaving the chair or manipulating any mechanism. With the rising-and-falling seat is combined a footrest, D, which is hinged to a slide, E, fitting in suitable guide-ways secured to the under surface of the seat. The inclination of the foot-rest is adjusted by a serrated rack, F, which is made to catch over a pin, g, secured in an arm projecting from the slide E; or it may be adjusted by any other suitable means.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The links a and straps e, in combination with the seat B, back-rest O, and pivots b c (if, substantially in the manner herein shown and described.

HOPKEN S THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

W. HAUFF, 

